Hotel worker fired for missing Sunday shifts to attend church awarded £16m
Jurors have awarded a former hotel dishwasher $21million (£16.3million) after she was fired for missing work on Sundays on religious grounds.
Marie Jean Pierre, 60, had worked at the Conrad Miami Hotel for more than a decade until March 2016.
The devout Christian born in Haiti was sacked after missing six Sunday shifts to attend Bethel Baptist Church in Miami.
Ms Pierre argued she had informed her employer she could not work Sundays because of her religious beliefs. She said: “I love God. No work on Sunday, because Sunday I honour God.”
Her lawsuit argued her former employer – then managed by Hilton – had violated the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which protects workers against discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex or origin.
A jury in federal court ruled in her favour last week, granting her £16.3million ($21million) in damages, £27,000 in back wages and £390,000 for emotional pain. However, courts cap payouts for punitive damages at £233,000.
Her lawyer Marc Brumer said: “She’s a soldier of Christ. She was doing this for other workers who are being discriminated against.”
Hilton said it intends to appeal, adding: “Multiple concessions were made to accommodate her religious commitments.”
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